Shirebrook fall to promotion rivals

Jason Bradley’s well-taken first half goal proved not to be enough for Shirebrook Town as they fell to a narrow, frustrating 2-1 defeat away at Barnsley-based promotion-contenders Shaw Lane Aquaforce on Saturday.

After Wednesday’s disappointing loss to an injury time goal against Shaw Lane’s promotion rivals Cleethorpes Town, Shirebrook were looking to bounce back straight away.

But any hopes of good football were ultimately spoiled by a poor playing surface and a strong wind blowing from side-to-side across the pitch for the whole of the game.

Nonetheless, both sides were keen to secure all three points, but the game never really lived up to the pre-match expectations.

Shaw Lane dominated the opening 20 minutes, and they raced into a 2-0 lead by the quarter-hour with soft goals from Danny Frost on eight minutes and Shane Kelsey seven minutes later.

However, Shirebrook were back in it on 21 minutes, Jordan Hall’s high cross from wide on the right falling invitingly for Bradley 14 yards out at the back post, before he calmly picked his spot and stabbed the ball into the back of the net, wide to keeper Jamie Green’s left.

It was a much more even contest after that.

Ben Cobley’s cross for Shirebrook from the left just before the half-hour flashed across the face of the Shaw Lane goal and only needed a touch, before home debutant Jason St Juste fired narrowly wide of the far post from 25 yards at the other end, after the ball was worked in to the experienced midfielder from the left three minutes later.

Frost was looking to bag his second on 41 minutes to restore Shaw Lane’s two-goal advantage going into the interval, but Shirebrook central defender Ross Henshaw was quickly in to clear the danger off home skipper Luke Danville’s forward header down the left towards the visitors’ box.

Shirebrook came out for the second half looking to get something from the game.

Bradley almost put the ball in the Shaw Lane net on 54 minutes from Shirebrook keeper Sam Andrew’s long punt up-field that picked him out on the edge of the home box.

The ball bounced once as Bradley held off the challenges, but he had to stretch to toe-poke his shot over Green who was coming off his line, his worthy effort lacking the necessary power and direction in the end.

Three minutes later Shirebrook skipper Craig Getliff fired just wide of the left hand upright from 25 yards, before Bradley sliced the ball past the outside of the other post from 22 yards in a separate attack by the visitors six minutes after that.

Shirebrook were certainly taking the game to Shaw Lane, but the home side seemed happy to sit back and protect their narrow lead, delaying play and hoofing the ball out whenever they could.

As frustration for the visitors began to creep in, the game threatened to boil over from Getliff’s meaty sliding challenge from the side on Shaw Lane substitute Lee Swift on 70 minutes.

Getliff clearly got the ball, but he also got some of Swift with the follow-through.

Swift cried out in pain as he went down and it kicked off from there with players from both sides becoming involved. Thankfully, though, it was confined mostly to posturing.

Two minutes later when it all settled down again, Getliff was yellow-carded for the foul, as was Shirebrook’s Bradley and Shaw Lane keeper Green for their part in the fireworks afterwards.

Nonetheless, Shirebrook tried to rack up the pressure and Danny Claridge forced Green into a one-handed save at the far post with an inswinging free kick from 25 yards out on the right.

Cobley gave Shaw Lane an anxious moment when he dropped the ball under the crossbar from the resulting corner on the left. Green flapped, but he collected the loose ball at the second attempt.

However, Shaw Lane very nearly had the final word as Shirebrook were caught short of numbers at the back after Henshaw was sent forward for the final few minutes of the game to add his height and strength up front.

In the last minute of five minutes of time added on at the end Kelsey found himself through one-on-one with Andrew, but the Shirebrook keeper was quickly off his line and stranded before the gusting crosswind came to the rescue, catching the ball and taking it wide of the right hand post after Kelsey chipped it up and over towards the empty net.

The defeat drops Shirebrook one place to sixth place in the table with seven games for them still to play; 13 points behind Cleethorpes Town, the team currently occupying second place, with Bottesford Town two points further ahead at the top of the table.

Shirebrook Town return to Langwith Road on Saturday for a 3pm kick-off when the visitors will be North Yorkshire side Selby Town.

That is followed the Tuesday after with a trip to North East Lincolnshire with a 7.45pm kick-off at Grimsby Borough.

SHAW LANE AQUAFORCE: Green, Storher, Fawcus (Burgess 74), Patterson, Danville, Cyrus, St Juste, O’Brien (Swift 59), Kelsey, Frost (Reece 85), Baldry. Subs not used: Flynn, Grace.

SHIREBROOK TOWN: Andrew, Cobley, Hanson, Hall (Thompson 68), Henshaw, Simpson, Mullen (Ryan 59), Getliff, Moxam, Bradley (Rowley 73), Claridge. Subs not used: Booth, M Camm.

REFEREE: James Bell of South Yorkshire.

ATTENDANCE: 147.

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